"Clara," Julian whispered softly, the deadly quiet of his voice carrying across the room. "Did you just hear that?"

Time stopped. The shattered crystal on the hardwood floor caught the dim light of the fireplace, glittering like crushed ice. Clara’s heart slammed against her ribs like a trapped bir

The heavy mahogany doors of the penthouse suite slammed shut, followed instantly by the sharp, electronic chirp of the biometric deadbolt sliding into place.

Clara stumbled backward, catching herself on the edge of a velvet chaise lounge. She stared at the locked doors, her chest heaving.

"You'r

The hissing of the static was the loudest sound Clara Vance had ever heard.

It filled the luxurious, sprawling emptiness of the penthouse, a relentless wave of white noise that clawed at her newly awakened eardrums. She stared at the laptop screen, the glowing red words *Connection Lost* burning i